Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-07-13
Mistetlamtolts &taaina.
BORROWING AND LENDING.

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r BORROWING AND LENDING.
What l have to say has no refer
ence to banks and those 25 per cent.
men who never have any money to
lend but can always manage to raise
a few dollars to accommodate one in
great need, at great interest. l have
some of the best neighbors in the
world, some of them being more
retdy to do a kindness than to re-
ceive one. They are not learned, or
great o. fashionable, or rich, but they
are gooo and they have hearts of
flesh that can be touched with a neigh
boris misfortuhes or even bad man.
agement. Last month, / called at
the house of one of these neighbors,
Mr.. Rushahead. In passing the
horse lot l overheard him talking,
with unusual emphasis, to old SloWgo,
and I caught these words: cpl be
confound if I doit. All spring you've
been foolin' away your time when |
was hard at work, and I've lent you
-four, and corn and given you garden
seed and plants and here you are
wanting my Grad lie Ito cut 81 yeHr.srnalb
grain. I just won't doit. That's
ALL" Being surprised at this sudden
outburst from an even-tempered,
good man, 1 said to him after the
borrower had left, "You seem out of
sorts this morning." He replied:
"Well it's about time. 1t is a real
favor to some men to lend them tools
and horses and wagons. They pay
you back with big interest. They
are grateful for favors. But there's
old Slowgo. I've lent him every.
thing under the sun, but the old
woman here, and it does him no
good. He won't have anything and
I'm tired to death of lending to such,
I've about made up my mind not to
keep this nGighborhood in tools any
longer"
A few days after this I called on
another friend, Mrs. Careful. I found
her in her tidy kitchen brightenirg 9
up things that were already bright.
We were soon seated and talking
away for life about all the little moth
ings that interested US, when in
popped a little slouchy girl with a
bucket and a cup. She said, as though
she was making demand: "My mar
says she wants to borrow a cup of
coffee and a bucket of meal" Mrs.
Careful's fine benevolent face was
clouded, but she got up and got the
things, but not with the best of grace.
When the little girl left she said {:
at does beat all how the people bor-
row. ITS an eternal demand from
Christmas to Christmas and never
any thanks for it. I don't mind
lending to most of my neighbors; in
fact 1 like to accommodate them, but
Mrs. Tiptop bothers me to death.
Every week she wants to borrow
something. There is no special loss
in it, for she always pays back, but
the annoyance and the trouble and
the little worriment almost drives
me crazy. Her husband is able tc
provide for his family, and would dc
it if he had a careful, methodical
wife. But she does beatall. I some
times make up my mind never tc
lend her another thing in the world
These two incidents with little
experience of my own, set me tt
thinking. Borrowing is old as the
human family, and l have an ides
that a man who never borroWs OF
lends is poor sort of fellow. 1t is 6
sign of intense selfishness or mean
ness. But there is great deal O
; character manifested in both borrow
ing and lending. I had neighbol
once who always paid back grudg
ingly, giving barely as much as she
received and generally of a poorer
quality. That is about as bad as no
paying at all. Then there was an
other that always sent more Of any
thing than she borrowed, and re
quested me to take out the prope,
quantity. That is also bad way o
paying back. Then l had anothe
: neighbor that did not hesitate to ash
for anything. She was hospitabl'
and kind hearted and sometimes he
house would be overfowing will
sudden company. Then she Woul(
snatch little time and run over ant
! borrow dishes, cold ham, pies, pre-
serves, cake, anything and every
> thing, and she always got what sht
:: wanted if I had it. That was be
cause she was able and willing to pay
t me back and she did it cheerfully
5 Above all she was thankful for th'
favors. After her company had gone
she would run over, her face al
aglow, and before greeting me sh'
would burst out with some sucn ex
preston as this: "Well don't know
what 1 would have done with my
: crowd, if it hadn't been for you
That dish of sliced ham saved mt
! from confusion, and the jar Of pre-
serves were praised and devouret
: with great energy. If you ever &c
: caught call on me-" Therein lay
I the secret of borrowing and lending
: The favor was done without an!
grudgir e and it was received will
t great thankfulness. Such people new
? er trouble one when they borrow
but tits always pleasure to do then
: a favor. In country neighborhood
borrowing is necessity and it is
2 sign of good fellowship. 1t is thos'
! little civilties that show the real hear
. of people, and there is more Of one
character manifested in the way {
horse or plowstock is returned, thar
in weeks talk. My neighbor Mr.
Rushahead was exactly right in hi
t conclusions as to furnishing his neigh
borhood with tools, but after he cool
l off he will 60 on with his lending
8 for he has big heart. The meaning
= of all this is that we are going t.
3 have borrowers and lenders as lonl
r as human society rests on its presen
e basis. If those who borrow woult
= first make an effort to have some
thing of their own and exercise {
] grateful spirit they would never b.
2 turned away empty. A Thankful
1 heart covers multitude of little in
e conveniencesi in the lending of things
] 1t would be a selfish sort of world, i
e every one should heed the grea
S poets Injunction: "Neither a Dor
s rover nor lender be-" Both Dor
row and lend and thereby cultivate
the graccs of kindness and thank
f fitness S-SDn1t0,1b,E0 Spartan,